I wish you and your families the very best in 2017.
Please note - There will be no post on Monday, 1/2/17.
Friday, December 30, 2016
This I know for sure...
I wish you and your families the very best in 2017.
Please note - There will be no post on Monday, 1/2/17.
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
What's Up Wednesday
This week...
My current WIP (work in progress): Currently on hiatus until after the new year.
Quote of the Week: “It’s impossible to complete a race if you don’t make it to the starting line.”~ Unknown
What I'm reading: I received Turbo Twenty-Three by Janet Evanovich for Christmas. My sister wants to read it when I'm finished so I started it last night.
Random Things: I'm spending time thinking about the things I want to accomplish in 2017 and how I'll meet goals that I'll set. It's hard to believe this is the last week of 2016. The year seemed to fly by.
Random Photo of the Week:
Somebody sat on the chair and watched my mom make a pie for the holiday.
My current WIP (work in progress): Currently on hiatus until after the new year.
Quote of the Week: “It’s impossible to complete a race if you don’t make it to the starting line.”~ Unknown
What I'm reading: I received Turbo Twenty-Three by Janet Evanovich for Christmas. My sister wants to read it when I'm finished so I started it last night.
Random Things: I'm spending time thinking about the things I want to accomplish in 2017 and how I'll meet goals that I'll set. It's hard to believe this is the last week of 2016. The year seemed to fly by.
Random Photo of the Week:
Somebody sat on the chair and watched my mom make a pie for the holiday.
Friday, December 23, 2016
This I know for sure...
I would like to wish everyone...
Merry Christmas
and
Happy Hanukkah
There will be no post on Monday, 12/27/16.
and
There will be no post on Monday, 12/27/16.
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
What's Up Wednesday
This week...
My current WIP (work in progress): Currently on hiatus until after the new year.
Somebody checking the Santa's boot ornament. I've had the ornament since I was a child. It now has a few teeth marks on the toe.
My current WIP (work in progress): Currently on hiatus until after the new year.
Quote of the Week: “Your time to move forward is coming, but it’s not here yet. Gather your strength, work hard, and success will come.” ~ Unknown
What I'm reading: I still reading My Fair Princess by Vanessa Kelly. It's taking me forever to read this book. I just don't have the time to sit down and read. I'm hoping that will change after the holidays.
Random Things: Can I complain about how much I hate wrapping gifts? Not just holiday presents, but any gift I happen to be giving. It seems like an enormous waste of time and money. You buy the wrapping paper, bow, sometimes a card and take the time to wrap the gift so it looks nice and the recipient tears off the paper and bow in a matter of seconds and it ends up in the garbage. I try to give gift bags as much as possible, but still wrap gifts for young children.
Random Photo of the Week:
Monday, December 19, 2016
Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies
I came across a recipe for Orange Chocolate Chip cookies a couple of weeks ago while I was looking for new recipes to try. If you're like me and love the flavors of orange and chocolate together, these are the cookies for you.
The recipe is from the Two Peas & Their Pod website. It has a lot of great recipes so take some time to look around while you're there. Here's the link for the Orange Chocolate Chip cookie recipe. http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/orange-chocolate-chip-cookies/ The site can take a bit of time to load, but it's worth the wait.
The recipe is from the Two Peas & Their Pod website. It has a lot of great recipes so take some time to look around while you're there. Here's the link for the Orange Chocolate Chip cookie recipe. http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/orange-chocolate-chip-cookies/ The site can take a bit of time to load, but it's worth the wait.
Friday, December 16, 2016
This I know for sure...
My cat, Somebody, is experiencing his second winter. Last winter was very mild with above average temperatures and below average snowfall. This year however, we've already received more snow than we normally do at this time in the season and we're due to get more snow over the weekend. Today, the temperature is forecast to be 12 degrees with 45 mile an hour wind gusts which will make the temperature feel like 20 degrees below zero.
Somebody has started curling up next to the register in the dining room whenever he hears the furnace click on. I've put a few old baby blankets I have in his two cat beds and left one on the end of the sofa so he can snuggle up when he gets cold.
I know how he feels. I wear a cardigan sweater every day when I get home from work from mid November to late April or early May when spring finally arrives. I think we're both already counting down the days.
Somebody has started curling up next to the register in the dining room whenever he hears the furnace click on. I've put a few old baby blankets I have in his two cat beds and left one on the end of the sofa so he can snuggle up when he gets cold.
I know how he feels. I wear a cardigan sweater every day when I get home from work from mid November to late April or early May when spring finally arrives. I think we're both already counting down the days.
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
What's Up Wednesday
This week...
My current WIP (work in progress): I'm done working the extra hours at the day job, but I'm taking a hiatus from working on my manuscript until after the holidays are over. I have so much to do with the holidays coming quicker than I want them to that I need the time to get things done.
Quote of the Week: "Find out what your dream is and work at it." ~ Beverly Johnson
What I'm reading: I still reading My Fair Princess by Vanessa Kelly. I'm not very far into it. Whenever I try to read it before going to bed for the night, I end up falling asleep within two pages or so. The story isn't boring, it's just that I'm so exhausted by the time I get in bed, I fall asleep almost as soon as I get comfortable.
Random Things: I'm so looking forward to Christmas for two reasons. One I'll get to see family that I don't see that often and two, I'll have two extra days off from work. I feel like I'll need it after the chaos of Christmas day and everyone coming and going throughout the day.
Random Photo of the Week:
I'm wishing I could just hide under a blanket some days lately.
My current WIP (work in progress): I'm done working the extra hours at the day job, but I'm taking a hiatus from working on my manuscript until after the holidays are over. I have so much to do with the holidays coming quicker than I want them to that I need the time to get things done.
Quote of the Week: "Find out what your dream is and work at it." ~ Beverly Johnson
What I'm reading: I still reading My Fair Princess by Vanessa Kelly. I'm not very far into it. Whenever I try to read it before going to bed for the night, I end up falling asleep within two pages or so. The story isn't boring, it's just that I'm so exhausted by the time I get in bed, I fall asleep almost as soon as I get comfortable.
Random Things: I'm so looking forward to Christmas for two reasons. One I'll get to see family that I don't see that often and two, I'll have two extra days off from work. I feel like I'll need it after the chaos of Christmas day and everyone coming and going throughout the day.
Random Photo of the Week:
Monday, December 12, 2016
Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
My family is a big fan of coconut related treats. Our favorite Halloween candy is Almond Joy. I buy fresh coconut still in the shell whenever it's on sale at the grocery store so we usually have a bowl of coconut chunks in the refrigerator. Since I've already been asked by three separate relatives if I was making coconut chocolate chip cookies for the holidays this year, I thought I'd share the recipe here.
Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 sticks butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed. (I use light brown sugar, but you can use either.)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons coconut extract (This can sometimes be hard to find. If you can't find it, use vanilla extract. The coconut extract just gives it more of a coconut flavor.)
2 eggs, beaten before you add them to the other ingredients.
2 cups coconut flakes
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 package chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour the melted butter into a large mixing bowl. Add the granulated and brown sugars and mix well. Add the baking soda, coconut (or vanilla) extract, and salt. Stir in the beaten eggs until everything is well combined.
Next pack the coconut flakes down into the measuring cup until you get two full cups. (My sister puts her coconut flakes into a food processor to chop them up a bit so the flakes aren't so big. If you do this, only use 1 cup of packed coconut flakes because they've been chopped. You can also chop them with a knife if you don't have a food processor.) Add them to the other ingredients in the bowl. Stir well. Add the flour and chocolate chips and mix until everything is well combined.
Let the dough sit for ten minutes, uncovered. Drop by teaspoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet. If the dough gets too sticky, chill it slightly in the refrigerator and try again. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until cookies are golden brown around the edges. Let cool for approximately 3 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes approximately 6 dozen cookies depending on how big you make them.
Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 sticks butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed. (I use light brown sugar, but you can use either.)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons coconut extract (This can sometimes be hard to find. If you can't find it, use vanilla extract. The coconut extract just gives it more of a coconut flavor.)
2 eggs, beaten before you add them to the other ingredients.
2 cups coconut flakes
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 package chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour the melted butter into a large mixing bowl. Add the granulated and brown sugars and mix well. Add the baking soda, coconut (or vanilla) extract, and salt. Stir in the beaten eggs until everything is well combined.
Next pack the coconut flakes down into the measuring cup until you get two full cups. (My sister puts her coconut flakes into a food processor to chop them up a bit so the flakes aren't so big. If you do this, only use 1 cup of packed coconut flakes because they've been chopped. You can also chop them with a knife if you don't have a food processor.) Add them to the other ingredients in the bowl. Stir well. Add the flour and chocolate chips and mix until everything is well combined.
Let the dough sit for ten minutes, uncovered. Drop by teaspoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet. If the dough gets too sticky, chill it slightly in the refrigerator and try again. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until cookies are golden brown around the edges. Let cool for approximately 3 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes approximately 6 dozen cookies depending on how big you make them.
Friday, December 9, 2016
This I know for sure...
There's one thing I don't look forward to every year during the holiday season -- being inundated with catalogues I've never heard of much less ordered from. Almost as bad is the overwhelming number of emails I receive from the same sites if not multiple times a day, then at least once a day for weeks on end.
I check my email every day in the evening. Most days not during the holiday season, I might get 10 to 20 new emails per day. Now I'm getting between 80 and 100 emails per day. I've even tried unsubscribing from emails for companies that I've never purchased anything from or from companies that I won't be purchasing anything from in the foreseeable future and it doesn't make a dent in the amount of emails I get.
So until mid-January when the after Christmas sales are over, I'll be doing mass deletes without even opening the majority of the emails. And all those catalogues I receive in the mail, they're going straight into the recycle bin.
I check my email every day in the evening. Most days not during the holiday season, I might get 10 to 20 new emails per day. Now I'm getting between 80 and 100 emails per day. I've even tried unsubscribing from emails for companies that I've never purchased anything from or from companies that I won't be purchasing anything from in the foreseeable future and it doesn't make a dent in the amount of emails I get.
So until mid-January when the after Christmas sales are over, I'll be doing mass deletes without even opening the majority of the emails. And all those catalogues I receive in the mail, they're going straight into the recycle bin.
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
What's Up Wednesday
This week...
My current WIP (work in progress): Still working extra hours at the day job. This should be the last week.
Quote of the Week: "Do what you have to do until you can do what you want to do." ~ Oprah Winfrey
What I'm reading: I just started My Fair Princess by Vanessa Kelly on Sunday. I'm not very far into it yet. This is the first book I'll be reading by Ms. Kelly.
Random Things: It's amazing how one person can ruin your mood for the whole day. I try not to let that happen, you're giving too much power to that person, but sometimes it just happens.
Random Photo of the Week:
My first attempt at card making. It was for my niece's baby shower.
My current WIP (work in progress): Still working extra hours at the day job. This should be the last week.
Quote of the Week: "Do what you have to do until you can do what you want to do." ~ Oprah Winfrey
What I'm reading: I just started My Fair Princess by Vanessa Kelly on Sunday. I'm not very far into it yet. This is the first book I'll be reading by Ms. Kelly.
Random Things: It's amazing how one person can ruin your mood for the whole day. I try not to let that happen, you're giving too much power to that person, but sometimes it just happens.
Random Photo of the Week:
My first attempt at card making. It was for my niece's baby shower.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)